Did corona virus and earthquakes destroy your dream? Quiet. You're not alone. And that can help you fall asleep. - Salt Lake Tribune

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Adam Sherman sleeps eight to nine hours a night and then takes a nap in the morning and afternoon.

It adds up to 14 hours of sleep a day.

"I'm tired all day," said Sherman, "and I just feel exhausted."

The 47-year-old resident of Salt Lake City hasn't slept that much, but the coronavirus pandemic has shaken his routines.

These disturbed patterns are the cause of the opposite problem in many people. They suffer from insomnia, said Kelly Baron, associate professor in the family and preventive medicine department and director of the behavioral sleep medicine program at the University of Utah.

Start the sleep study
A study by the University of Utah is recruiting men and women for a study to understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep. There are no personal visits and participants are paid for their time. If you are an adult living in Utah and would like to participate, visit https://bit.ly/3c7ofq5 to conduct an online assessment. For more information, call 801-585-1123 or email sleplab@utah.edu.

"For the record," said Baron, "I've seen many of my patients struggling with sleep because of a variety of problems."

Dr. Kevin Walker, medical director of the Intermountain Sleep Disorder Center, said he had spoken to some patients who had recently experienced increased anxiety.

Fears about their health, family, and finances can keep them awake until late at night. They fear that they or their loved ones will get sick. They may have lost their jobs or fear losing their wages.

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"I think being at home all the time, even with your loved ones, is like you're all locked up," Walker said. "It can be stressful."

(Photo courtesy) Kelly Baron, associate professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, and director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine program at the University of Utah.

Experts recommend adults sleep seven to nine hours a night. Increased fear, said Baron, can make this difficult.

"You feel irritated, depressed," he said, "if you haven't slept enough."

Yes, stress can change patterns, Walker noted, but broken patterns can cause stress.

Adults and children who are more at home due to the pandemic may not have to wake up when they go to work or school. This can mean staying awake later and waking up later and interrupting sleep patterns.

In addition, parents could spend more time raising their children. Some people may eat more or drink more alcohol at home.

These changes can tire someone during the day and try to compensate for them with naps or caffeine.

"Our body loves routine," said Walker. "I think we usually do a lot better if we keep consistency."

Once upon a time, he said, sleep specialists focused on treating the underlying problems that cause insomnia. Then it was discovered that insomnia, once it started, could become a problem that persisted.

"He can have his own life," he said, "even if it was originally caused by other things."

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) A sign in the window of a house in Millcreek, Friday April 17, 2020

What should people do who are tired of pandemics and earthquakes?

Baron and Walker recommend following a routine. Wake up and go to bed at the same time each day. Turn off or put away electronic and digital devices an hour before bed. Try to spend this time doing something relaxing.

Walker also emphasizes the training to see the bed as a place to sleep or have sex. Don't work in bed, he says; Even reading in bed could reinforce the fact that the mattress is more than just a break.

Exercising and eating daily at the same time is also important for sleep, Walker said.

There's one thing that people may have noticed lately that isn't exactly a problem, Baron said, but that could make them wonder what's going on. You have heard patients say that they have more vivid dreams.

Even the baron falls into this category. He remembered a dream in which a man was riding a giant brown bear. The bear killed his children. The children had no idea and he was afraid the bear would eat them. But she woke up first.

"Obviously, it was a dream of control and protection," he said.

Baron is one of the masses who worked at home during the pandemic. People who no longer have to travel can sleep more. Because REM sleep occurs most often early in the morning, some people may have these dreams because they are recovering from sleep.

It's a good thing, she said.

The pandemic "clearly has a huge impact on people's behavior," said Baron, "and there could be positive and negative points."

Sherman works full-time as a security guard in the Utah National Guard and does his job from home, where he lives alone. He said he tried to improve his sleep pattern by drinking less alcohol and moving his desk from the room to the kitchen.

Now he eats more during the day and still sleeps a lot.

"I am an extrovert, which makes teleworking difficult and stressful because I am alone all day," said Sherman. "As a result, it was difficult for me to make significant or significant changes to my routine. So I accept what's going on and just wait for life to return to normal. ""

Walker tries to treat patients with chronic sleep problems with cognitive and behavioral therapies. If that doesn't work, medication can be an option.

For people whose sleep can be interrupted by fear, Walker suggests limiting the amount of time they consume news about COVID-19.

"It is good to be informed," he said, "but it is good for my patients to set a deadline."